Real claim 11th European crown

Real Madrid are champions of Europe for the 11th time after defeating Atlético Madrid 5-3 in penalties following a 1-1 draw at the San Siro in Milan.

Cristiano Ronaldo converted the decisive penalty by powering in Real's fifth spot kick after Juanfran had missed Atlético's fourth, giving Real a second Champions League victory in three years, with both triumphs coming against their city rivals.

Sergio Ramos gave Real a lead in the 15th minute, but substitute Yannick Carrasco equalized in the 79th minute, which would eventually lead to spot kicks.

It was an exhausting final as both teams had to withstand cramps all throughout the extra time. Ronaldo's winning penalty made up for what was otherwise a subpar night for the Portuguese, as it was Gareth Bale who provided the attacking impetus on the night for the champions.

As for Atlético, it is yet another near-miss in their quest for continental glory, as Juanfran was cruelly denied by the post. Earlier in normal time, Antoine Griezmann had also struck the crossbar on a penalty, adding to Atlético's post-match misery.

There were few surprises from the managers with their respective starting XIs. Real's Zindine Zidane went with his first-choice lineup, while Atlético boss Diego Simeone's choice of Stefan Savic ahead of José María Giménez at centre-back was the most news worthy decision pre-match.

A piercing early run from Bale earned Real the game's first chance, and the resulting free kick from the Welshman was curled in perfectly for Casemiro to volley in from just three yards out, but Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak reacted impeccably, making a reaction save with his left foot to prevent the goal.

The set piece continued to be problematic for the Atlético defence, and at the quarter hour mark it resulted in the opener for Real. A Toni Kroos free kick was flicked on expertly by Bale and Ramos fought through the Atlético defence to get just the slightest of touches on the ball to nick it past Oblak to give Real the 1-0 advantage.

Real continued to dominate as the first half wore on, as Los Blancos seemingly won every ball and looked a well-oiled machine, while Atletico were left scrambling. Danger men Fernando Torres, Griezmann and Saúl were all non-factors, hardly troubling Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Toward the end of the half Atlético started to gain a foothold in the match, and played with far more confidence and composure than earlier. With Koke playing more inside, Los Colchoneros regained some control of the midfield, yet only a pair of tame shots from distance from Griezmann gave Navas anything to do.

The improvement from Atlético meant that Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were barely involved, with the Portuguese in particular looking frustrated. Nevertheless, Real took the lead into the second half, which saw Simeone made an offensive substitution as Carrasco replaced Augusto.

Atlético were far more aggressive to start the second stanza and immediately won a penalty when Pepe crashed into Torres in the area. Griezmann stepped up to take the spot kick, but for the second time this season the Frenchman failed to convert a penalty against Navas. Back in their league encounter last fall, Navas saved, but in this instance it was Griezmann rifling his effort off the crossbar.

Zidane was forced into making his first change of the match early in the second half as Dani Carvajal limped off and was replaced by the much-maligned Danilo. Meanwhile, Atlético continued their surge and a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box nearly saw Savic become the hero, but he toed his shot just wide. Next it was Saúl sending a gasp through the San Siro with a well-struck left-footed volley that went wide.

Atlético continued to push numbers forward, opening up space in the back. The counterattack beckoned for Real and one such chance fell to Benzema, but his struck his shot right at Oblak. Zidane's second change saw Kroos make way for Isco to provide fresh legs in midfield.

The minutes continued to tick away on Atlético, who time and again were turned away by the Real defence. Zidane then made his final change bringing on speedy winger Lucas Vázquez in place of Benzema. Ronaldo was then presented with a chance to seal the title, but like Benzema, he shot right at Oblak as well. That was then followed by a frantic sequence in which Oblak came way off his line to try to deny Bale, who shot past the Slovenian but saw his shot cleared off the line.

Real would end up ruing their poor finishing, as just 11 minutes from time Juanfran's cross from the right connected with substitute Carrasco, who beat Danilo at the far post and hammered in to bring Los Rojiblancos level 1-1.

A late winner was not to be had, so just like the 2014 Champions League final between these two teams, extra time was on the menu. Real's best chances continued coming via set pieces and Ronaldo should have done better on a corner kick in the early stages of extra time.

Finally, in the second period of extra-time, Simeone made just his second substitution, as Lucas Hernández replaced a hobbled Filipe Luís. Cramps seemingly overtook all the players on the pitch, and it resulted in the third and final Atlético change as Thomas Partey came on for Koke. Real had the bulk of the chances in the final 15 minutes, with Vázquez getting a look, but his shot was blocked, paving the way for penalties.

From the spot, both teams were perfect through three rounds, but it was on the fourth attempt where Juanfran struck the post, opening the door for Ronaldo's winning conversion giving Real the crown.